The Educating Malcolm X and Ida B. Wells Page is dedicated to the education of our CHILDREN. Let
us raise up our kids toTHATkind of GREATNESS. This page is for adults who want to be Dream Catchers for our children...so they can live life abundantly and free.

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The Courage To Teach

by Dr. Rhonda Sherrod

February 9, 2018

As educators, we must constantly remind ourselves of who we are! We have the ability to transform the way a student perceives, not only the world, but
himself. We have the capacity to help transport our students to places they never dreamed of, as we equip them with the tools to see themselves as global citizens who have the right to dream
boldly and to see those dreams through to fruition. If you think about it, I mean really think about it, you have no choice but to conclude that we are entrusted with awesome power. And
with awesome power comes awesome responsibility. So how should we wield this power responsibly?

Well, first, we have to have what educator and author Parker J. Palmer calls “the courage to teach.” As he strongly cautions us against standing still in our
professional development, he writes:

“Stagnation is the state chosen by teachers who are so threatened by students that they barricade themselves behind their credentials, their
podiums, their status, their research. Ironically, this choice for stagnation mirrors the disengagement of the students these teachers fear. Having been wounded by fearful young people
who hold their teachers at arm’s length, these teachers fearfully fend off their students, thus feeding the cycle of fear.

It is not unusual to see faculty in mid-career don the armor of cynicism against students, education, and any sign of hope. It is the
cynicism that comes when the high hopes one once had for teaching have been dashed by experience—or by the failure to interpret ones’ experience accurately…” [Emphasis added] (pg. 13)

I know about that which Palmer speaks! I am now certain that I have wanted to be a teacher all my life. My family chuckles to this day about how, as a
young girl, I taught school every day, without fail. I was quite the rigid teacher and my pupil (or captive)—my baby brother— would call my mother and father on their jobs to complain about the
work I had assigned him to complete before I would let him go outside to play! However, because I poured so much knowledge into him, and because he was brilliant anyway, when he enrolled in
school, he sailed through, achieving all kinds of honors.

But I digress; let’s get back to "the courage to teach." When I became a college educator, as my second career, I was incensed by how immature and
underprepared for college level work most of my students were. For a moment, I felt demoralized. "I want to be a college professor," my inner voice wailed. And if I am to be honest about
it, I was nothing short of devastated. I had moved almost 1200 miles to arrive at the university, the working climate and morale was horrible, I sensed no real collegiality among faculty, the
office I was assigned was tacky, ugly, and small—hardly inspiring, and I felt I had made a serious mistake by accepting the job.

However, acknowledging a challenge that simply had to be met, I quickly recovered and began to experiment with different ways of delivering academic content to my
disenchanted students. As professionals, we are trained to be problem-solvers; and I realized I could not demand that my students analyze information and think critically if I was not willing
to do the same for them. Even more to the point, I earnestly believed that a world-class education was the one thing that stood between success and failure for my beautiful, if exasperating,
students. I knew how important their education was even if they did not. As the person deemed to be the “expert” in the room, and as the one deemed to have the superior fund of knowledge
about human behavior, I made educating each and every one of them—not teaching, but educating them, and making them understand the importance of an education—my personal challenge every single day of
every single semester.

Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu talks about teachers who teach the lesson, perhaps brilliantly, but fail to teach the child; and I was one who put a lot of energy into developing
my lectures--really wonderful lectures—but I realized, early on, that students were not getting it, even though I felt I was almost spoon feeding the material. But it was only after I made
invaluable connections and built important relationships and rapport with my students that they began to soar. I later learned that there is a body of research about schools and “connectedness” that
makes it clear that students who have caring, responsive, supportive relationships in school have better outcomes, including being more engaged with, placing more value on, and having a better
attitude toward, school and academics.*

So, I began to do the work necessary to engage them. Mentally, I assessed each student. For each student I asked: Who is she? In what is he
interested? What makes her smile? What does it take to spark his curiosity? From where does she hail? What is his hometown like? What would compel her to talk? What kind of music
does he like? In what and who are these students interested? If I played Nina Simone proudly and emphatically singing “Young, Gifted, and Black,” would they recognize themselves? If
I quoted conscientious rappers like Lauryn Hill, would they respond? What kind of comments can I make on any given day to this or that student to break through the walls that separate us so the
student can have not just a good experience, but a phenomenal academic experience that she will always remember? After I made these assessments, indeed, as I was making them, I freed myself to
just let it flow. Naturally, organically, and with the force of my personality—which is caring and compassionate—things just turned around. My students began to flourish! I realize
now, that I was just exhibiting “the courage to teach.”

The payoff was great. By the end of each semester, because I was willing to put the time in to “problem-solve,” I had classes where the overwhelming majority of
the students were so “turned on” to, and engaged with, knowledge, my colleagues began asking me, “What are you doing? Your students love your classes.” I eagerly shared some of the
tactics, strategies, and techniques from my repertoire with my colleagues, because I firmly believe that we can all capture the magic we need to light up our classrooms and create ultra-engaged
learners. Our students can transform into academic superstars right before our eyes as a result of the lift we give them. That is, of course, the joy of teaching. We just have to, as
Palmer says, have “the courage to teach.”

Black Males Ill-Served by the "Stud" Stereotype

by Rhonda Sherrod, J.D., Ph.D.

Last semester one of my students dropped by for an
office visit and, to my great surprise and annoyance, sex came up again and again.

Yes, sex. Like when, sensing his restlessness and
wistfulness, I asked him how he finds “peace” so that he can achieve a state of mind conducive to studying. (Even though he was failing my class, it was clear to me that he has a great deal of
promise.) He responded that he likes to drive around in his car, watch sport competitions, “and I like sex.”

Then, as I listened to the student degrade women -- all the
while trying to keep the revulsion I felt to a minimum -- I couldn’t help but wonder why this student felt so comfortable as he sat there talking to me -- his professor whom he barely knew -- about
his personal sex life. Nothing I did to redirect the conversation toward something having to do with how to improve his dismal classroom performance worked.

In thinking about this conversation, I began to recognize
that sitting alongside this student’s woman-hating diatribe was a deep, almost overwhelming, longing for a human connection that is meaningful and sustaining. One of the main problems, however,
is that he has mentally degenerated to a “hustler” state where meaningful relationships are especially difficult to establish and maintain. He doesn’t “trust” women, they are “hoodrats” who
“betray” him, and they “won’t act right,” yet he readily admits that neither does he. But my student couldn’t think analytically about how his behavior contributes to his inability to attain
that which he so deeply desires.

Also troubling, I thought, is the way that sex in this
culture -- especially among people my student’s age -- has become so pornographic in concept. So many young men attempt to experience mere sensation without any thought toward humanistic
concerns. Sadly, many of them mistakenly think a so-called “no-strings attached, feel-good” sexual relationship is exactly what they want.

More to the point, I had to question why this society
continues to be so fixated on making black men the sexual “animals” of this culture. This society has always conceptualized black males in demeaning physical terms -- the stud with unlimited
sexual prowess, for example -- and so much so that many of these young men seem to have internalized a warped sense of their own humanity. As another one of my male psychology students put it
during a classroom discussion on gender issues (after which several of my female students thoroughly castigated him), “It’s just sex.”

Just sex? Sex is one of the most intimate acts two
human beings can engage in - an unveiling of the soul and spirit, as well as the mind and body. It is this notion that “it’s just sex” that has so many people confused and unhappy. People
are so wrapped up in their wants and desires, that, ironically, they don’t understand the basic needs attached to those desires. The fact is, many people lack a sound analysis of sexuality and
feelings, but black males are encouraged by the American culture to forego such analysis, and, we must insist upon asking why this continues to be the case and what is the psychological and
social cost to these young men?

I ended the meeting with my student by trying to get him to
“analyze” his situation, and as is my way, I gave him some “vocabulary words” to look up and define. The list of words? “Barbaric,” “savage,” “animalistic,” “primitive” and
“Neanderthal.” I figured if he wanted to continue operating on the level he seemed to be advocating, why not “keep it real” for him and clue him in to how others may evaluate his
“game.”

He balked, demurred, and (thankfully) appeared quite
insulted when I handed him the list. “‘Barbaric,’ ‘savage’...,” he faltered. “What?”

“Here, take the words.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

He threw his head back and sent forth a hearty, but clearly
embarrassed, laugh. “Okay. I’ll look them up.”

”Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

Mary Oliver,

Poet

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Quote of the Day

January 23, 2019

“The people must know before they can act, and there is no educator to compare with the press.”

Ida B. Wells,

World Class Journalist, and Human Rights/Writes Activist

________________

Quote of the Day

January 22, 2019

"The best way to predict the future is to create it."

Abraham Lincoln,

16th President of the USA

________________

Happy King Day!

(January 21, 2019)

Thank you Dr. King for a life well lived.

So much love for you!

"Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle."

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Human Rights Leader and Martyr

________________

Quote of the Day

January 14, 2019

"It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult."

Seneca,

Stoic Philosopher

_____________________

Happy New Year!

Quote of the Day

(January 1, 2019)

“Even if it makes others uncomfortable, I will love who I am.”

Janelle Monae, singer, actress, model, songwriter, and producer

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Quote of the Week

(December 30, 2018 - January 5, 2019)

”It’s not about supplication, it’s about power. It’s not about asking, it’s about demanding. It’s not about convincing
those who are in power, it’s about changing the very face of power itself.”

Kimberle Williams Crenshaw,

Brilliant Law Professor at Columbia University and UCLA

________________

Quote of the Week

November 18, 2018

”I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.”

Fannie Lou Hamer,

Human rights activist

________________________

Quote of the Week

November 11, 2018

“You are your best thing.”

Toni Morrison,

Canonic award -winning author

_______________________

Quote of the Week

November 5, 2018

“Art hurts. Art urges voyages-and it is easier to stay at home.”

Gwendolyn Brooks,

Poet, educator, First African American to win a Pulitzer Prize

_______________________

Quote of the Month

November, 2018

“The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.”

Elbert Hubbard,

American writer & publisher

_______________________

Quote of the Week

October 28, 2018

“The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.”

Joseph Campbell,

American author and educator

_______________________

Quote of the Week

October 1, 2018

“We must do more to raise awareness about the realities of sexual assault; confront and change insensitive attitudes wherever they
persist; enhance training and education in the criminal justice system; and expand access to critical health, legal, and protection services for survivors.”

Barack Obama, President of the United States (2009-2017)

_______________________

Quote of the Week

September 23, 2018

"At his best, man is the noblest of all animals; separated from law and justice, he is the worst."

All American Harvard football player (1892-93) & first Black assistant Attorney General of the US

(For more on William H. Lewis, click the SHE for HIM tab above!)

___________________________

Quote of the Month

August

"Whether you have a PhD or no D, we are in this bag together. Whether you're from Morehouse or Nohouse, we're still in this bag
together."

Fannie Lou Hamer,

brilliant activist and strategist

_____________________________

Quote of the Week

August 26, 2018

“Being a singer is a natural gift. It means I’m using to the highest degree possible the gift that God gave me to use. I’m
happy with that.”

Aretha Franklin,

The Queen

of Soul

(For more on the Queen, click on the SHESTORY tab above!)

__________________

Quote of the Week

August 19, 2018

“In the campaign debate, one of the things we talked about was his experience versus my inexperience. I said, ‘I have a right to
go up there and make a fool of myself. I'll never know until I get up there. If you're going to always judge people -- women, Blacks, Indians, whatever-- against a white person who
has had more advantages, more opportunities, and a quicker starting time, then we should never participate in anything.’”

Carrie Saxon Perry,

First Black woman mayor of a major U. S. city (Hartford, CT)

____________________________

Quote of the Week

August 12, 2018

“If you don't have a lens that's been trained to look at how various forms of discrimination come together, you're unlikely to develop
a set of policies that will be as inclusive as they need to be."

Kimberle Williams Crenshaw

Professor, Columbia and UCLA Law Schools

______________________________

Quote of the Week

August 5, 2018

"Never trust anyone who says they do not see color. This means, to them, you are invisible."

Nayyirah Waheed, poet and author

_______________________________

Quote of the Week

June 10, 2018

"We are stars wrapped in skin, the light we are seeking has always been within."

Rumi

Islamic mystic, poet, and scholar

____________________

Quote of the Month

June

"At the root of this dilemma is the way we view mental health in this country. Whether an illness affects your heart, your leg,
or your brain, it's still an illness, and there should be no distinction."

Michelle Obama

FLOTUS FOREVER

____________________

Quote of the Week

April 1, 2018

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

Rev. Dr. Martin

Luther King, Jr.,

Human rights

activist and martyr

______________________

Quote of the Month

April

"She knew wonderful simples for ailments of body and soul, and bound up both in earthy
ointments."

Lillian Smith

Author(1949)

_______________________

Quote of the Week

March 24, 2018

"You're going to

struggle, so surround

yourself with people you

trust."

King T'Chaka to

King T'Challa

(For a Review of the Black Panther movie, click on the SHE Goes To The Movies tab above!)

__________________________

Quote of the Month

March, 2018

"The Black Panther

Party was not a

gang. They grew

out of a young

Black intelligensia on

college campuses."

Bobby Seale

Co-founder of the

Black Panther Party

___________________________

Quote of the Week

February 4, 2018

"Grab the broom
of

anger, and drive off
the

beast of fear."

Zora
Neale Hurston,

Author
& Anthropologist

_______________________

Quote of the Week

January 27, 2018

Winning is great, sure, but if you are really going to do something in life, the secret is learning how to lose. Nobody goes undefeated all the time. If you
can pick up after a crushing defeat, and go on to win again, you are going to be a champion someday."

Wilma Rudolph,

Olympic Goal Medalist

___________________________

Quote of the Week

January 21, 2018

"The secret of getting ahead is getting started."

Mark Twain,

Author and humorist

_____________________________

Quote of the Week

January 14 , 2018

"As you become more
clear about who you really are, you'll be better able to decide what is best for you the first time around."

Oprah Winfrey,

Media Mogul

_______________________________

Quote of the Week

January 7, 2018

"There is no force equal to a woman determined to rise."

Dr. W.E. B. DuBois

Scholar Extraordinaire

_______________________________

Quote of the Week

January 1, 2018

New beginnings, y'all! Another year, another opportunity to become who we came here to be. Let's focus on discovering the tools and strategies we need to move
forward. Then, each and EVERY single day, let's try to use those strategies. It might not be easy, but it will sure be worth it!"

Dr. Rhonda Sherrod

Soul Survivor

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Quote of the Month

January, 2018

"Trust yourself. Think for yourself. Act for yourself. Speak for yourself. Be yourself. Imitation is suicide.",